£ 

Volume  XIII.  OCTOBER,  1916.  Number  4. 

Wi>gn$rrr  or  iu.w?*-mABy 

APR  3 1917 

BULLETIN 

OF  THE 

Mississippi  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College 
Agricultural  College,  Miss. 


Thrift  Clubs  in  Mississippi 

by 

Professor  G.  T.  HOWERTON. 


Collegiate  Training  for  Business 

by 

Professor  JAMES  V.  BOWEN. 


Published  by  the 

Mississippi  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College, 

Issued  Quarterly  . 


Entered  February  16,  1904,  at  Agricultural  College,  Mississippi,  as 
Second-Class  Matter,  under  Act  of  Congress  of  July  16,  1894. 


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Thrift  Clubs  in  Mississippi 


By  G.  T.  Howerton. 


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WE  NEED  IT  NOW 

A need  is  always  an  opportunity.  “Man’s  extremity  is  God’s 
opportunity.”  All  calamities  are  blessings.  Whatever  is  is  right. 
Friction  strikes  fire.  Iron  sharpeneth  iron.  A hard  bed  makes  an 
early  riser.  Out  of  evil  comes  good.  Serenity  is  stagnation. 
Easy  wealth  is  decay.  “Woe  unto  him  who  is  at  ease  in  Zion.” 

The  South  was  rich  and  reckless.  Money  fell  into  our  hands. 
Cotton  was  king.  He  paid  his  annual  visit  to  his  subjects.  He 
brought  them  easy  money.  His  next  visit  was  near.  Let  the 
money  pass.  Credit  was  easy.  . Trade  was  brisk.  No  need  to 
save  the  dollar.  The  bale  of  cotton  was  sure.  Nothing  less  was 
worth  while.  Who  cared  for  a cow  or  a few  hens  ? Easy  to  buy 
them  with  cotton.  Wear  out  the  land.  There  is  lots  more.  Cotton 
would  buy  it. 

But  now  a change.  A blessed  little  bug  comes.  He  punctures 
our  prosperity.  He  enlivens  our  activity.  He  sharpens  our  wits. 
He  destroys  our  cotton  fibre.  He  strengthens  our  moral  fibre. 
He  dethrones  our  king.  He  exalts  our  democracy.  He  creates  a 
new  community  interest.  He  teaches  cooperation.  He  shows  us 
our  weakness.  He  develops  our  strength.  He  eats  our  dollars. 
He  gives  a new  value  to  our  pennies.  He  brings  a New  Oppor- 
tunity. He  teaches  us  to  save.  He  shall  bring  us  to  Thrift. 

THIS  NEW  OPPORTUNITY— ITS  REAL  MEANING 

Thrift  is  a new  word  in  our  Southern  literature.  We  read  of 
it  in  our  Ben  Franklin  books,  but  he  was  a Pennsylvania  printer, 
and  began  life  in  poverty.  He  was  a long  way  from  us.  No  need 
to  learn  from  him.  Let  us  “eat,  drink  and  be  merry,”  for  the 
cotton  will  soon  be  ripe. 

And  our  thoughts  turned  to  poetry  and  politics,  song  and 
story,  plantation  and  plenty,  broad  acres  and  bright  cotton  fields. 
But  the  blessed  little  bug  awoke  us  to  a New  Opportunity , and 
gave  the  cackle  of  the  hen  a new  musical  tone  to  us.  And  this  has 
a deep-seated,  heartfelt  meaning  to  us.  New  lessons  must  be 


learned.  New  subjects  must  be  studied.  Efficiency  and  thrift 
must  now  be  taught.  And  we  must  readjust  our  angle  of  vision. 

NEW  FORCES  AT  WORK 

Or  maybe  it  is  better  to  say  old  forces  operating  in  a new  direc- 
tion. It  is  a regeneration — the  awakening  of  a new  power — the 
power  to  see  the  importance  of  small  things,  the  perception  to 
sense  the  influence  of  small  impact.  The  day  of  the  dusty  store 
is  doomed.  The  merchant  must  keep  a clean  stock  and  put  on  a 
good  “window.  The  sedentary  smoker  must  arise  and  clean 
house.  It  takes  more  effort  now  to  sell.  The  salesman  must 
think.  He  must  cultivate  his  community.  Must  get  acquainted 
with  his  neighbor.  Must  not  only  deal  justly,  but  serve  efficiently. 

THE  REAL  NEW  SOUTH 

Henry  Grady  caught  the  vision.  He  saw  far  beyond  us.  His 
matchless  eloquence  was  born  of  a prophet’s  heart.  He  brushed 
aside  the  seeming  ills  of  the  war  of  secession,  and  pictured  the 
glory  of  his  new-born  country.  Now  let  us  catch  his  spirit  and 
sing  with  him  the  glories  of  a Renewed  New  South.  The  one 
zvay  is  the  old  way.  The  cotton  way  is  the  one  way.  The  new 
way  brings  variety — the  harp  of  a thousand  strings.  Where  we 
have  used  one  resource,  we  will  now  use  many;  where  we  have 
pulled  along  by  a rope  of  one  strand,  now  we  shall  swing  by  the 
cord  of  many  strands.  Where  the  one  rope  has  broken  and  we 
have  floundered  and  foundered,  we  shall  now  be  safely  landed  by 
some  of  the  many  finer  forces  of  salvation. 

A NEW  EDUCATION 

Conservatism  must  pass  in  the  most  conservative  of  forces — 
education  and  religion.  We  see  the  need  of  the  new  community 
church  as  never  before,  and  the  demand  for  a new  sort  of  educa- 
tion. History,  literature  and  mathematics  are  insufficient  to  solve 
our  new  problems. 

Fore-ordination,  predestination  and  certain  damnation  of  the 
wicked  will  not  solve  the  new  community  problems.  Now,  we  are 
forced  to  learn  to'  think  by  thinking,  and  to  learn  to  do  by  doing. 
The  thinking  must  be  more  concrete  and  accurate,  and  the  doing 
more  efficient  and  effective,  more  powerful  and  productive.  Had 
you  noticed  the  wonderful  advance  in  many  of  the  secondary 
schools  ? Have  you  not  seen  the  lathe  supplant  that  Latin  ? Had 
you  not  noticed  that  the  typewriter  stand  now  has  the  place  of 


the  dunce  stool?  That  the  hum  of  the  saw  and  the  song  of  the 
hammer  are  now  heard  where  not  so  long  ago  they  were  conning  a 
Greek  conjugation?  Had  you  not  noticed  that  the  boy  now  learns 
to  farm  and  build  fence,  and  the  girl  to  sew  and  cook,  where  once 
they  learned  of  the  peoples  and  politics  of  the  past?  Had  you 
not  noticed  that  education  is  going  into  business  and  business  is 
getting  into  religion?  And  this  is,  no  doubt,  the  fore-runner  of 
the  New  Education  about  which  the  prophets  have  spoken. 

SOME  NEW  IDEAS  OF  WORK 

There  has  never  been  a time  when  so  many  students  were 
“working  their  way”  through  school.  Work  not  only  has  a new 
value,  but  we  have  a new  vision  of  its  place.  The  race  is  no  longer 
to  the  swift  alone  and  the  victory  to  the  brilliant,  but  there  is  a way 
open  to  the  plodder.  And  where  there  was  one  way,  soon  there 
are  to  be  many  ways.  Even  now  all  our  schools  are  fuller  than 
ever  before.  And  this  is  only  the  beginning.  When  the  rusty  and 
crusty  old  husks  of  conservatism  have  crumbled  completely,  the 
New  South  will  awaken  to  a sense  of  equality  of  opportunity  of 
all  human  beings,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  male  and  female, 
and  the  industrial  schools  of  this  State  will  equal  those  of  the 
wonderful  west  in  attendance,  in  efficiency,  in  productive  enter- 
prise, in  useful  equipment,  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  Then 
will  the  school  be  a hum  of  industry,  instead  of  a dungeon  for  con- 
finement; the  birthplace  for  enterprise  and  business  acumen,  and 
not  the  burying  ground  for  genius  and  the  producer  of  laziness ; 
the  manifestation  of  life,  not  a preparation  for  life ; the  gladness 
of  a joyous  holiday,  not  the  prison  of  hope. 

SERVICE  FIRST 

It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.  Activity  is  the  law 
of  life.  Bodily  action  awakens  mental  acumen.  Service  is  twice  ' 
blessed ; it  blesses  him  who  receives  it,  but  far  more  him  who 
renders  it.  The  very  best  liberty  is  liberty  to  serve.  Our  New 
South  under  the  new  regime  grants  this  liberty.  This  is  the  lib- 
erty of  man,  the  liberty  that  makes  us  “Free  indeed.”  “It  is 
enough  for  the  servant  that  he  be  as  his  master.”  This  is  where 
the  middle  wall  of  partition  breaks  down.  We  have  no  longer 
any  classes.  Each  and  all  are  permitted  to  serve.  The  lawyer  no 
longer  “practices  law.”  He  serves  his  community.  Nor  does  the 
doctor  “practice  medicine.”  He  is  a community  builder.  The 
merchant  has  become  a student  and  a teacher.  The  banker  is  one 


of  our  most  promising  educators.  Even  the  teacher  is  becoming 
a community  leader.  The  preacher  not  only  preaches,  but  is  the 
servant  to  humanity  in  a thousand  ways. 

EFFICIENCY  IN  ALL  THINGS 

More  work  and  better  work,  in  less  time  and  with  less  friction. 
More  production  and  better  production  at  less  cost.  These  are 
the  mottoes  of  efficiency.  The  school  building  of  the  past  was  an 
unkept  and  unkempt  place.  The  touch  of  service  was  nowhere 
visible.  Dirt  on  the  floor,  chalk  marks  on  the  wall,  whittled 
benches  for  seats.  Then  came  the  broom  and  the  duster,  and 
the  chalk-covered  blackboard.  But  these  could  never  produce 
cleanliness  or  offer  opportunity  to  the  best  expression  of  personal 
efficiency.  The  modern  school  house  is  a model  community  home. 
Cleanly,  sanitary,  inviting.  No  brooms,  no  duster,  no  open  buckets 
of  water,  no  common  drinking  cups.  The  mental  and  spiritual 
effects  that  these  changes  produce  are  a part  of  the  process  of 
working  out  our  own  salvation  effectively  and  efficiently. 

THRIFT  DEFINED 

This  brings  us  to  the  subject.  What  has  been  said  goes  to 
show  that  there  is  much  more  in  thrift  than  to  deposit  a few  dol- 
lars in  the  bank.  It  has  its  tap-root  deeply  imbedded  in  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  industry  and  economy.  Thrift  that  is  thrift 
must  cover  at  least  these  three  things : 

1.  Industry  in  earning. 

2.  Systematic  saving. 

3.  Wise  investing. 

It  is  not  enough  for  a child  to  beg  or  borrow  a few  dollars 
from  some  member  of  the  family  to  deposit  in  a savings  account. 
In  this  act  he  loses  the  best  lesson  taught  by  thrift : the  cost  and 
value  of  what  he  deposits. 

Our  youth  will  never  save  to  any  real  advantage  until  they 
have  themselves  paid  the  price  for  the  saving.  Gift  is  contrary 
to  nature.  Real  personal  honesty  has  its  origin  in  a willingness 
and  a desire  to  render  value  for  that  which  is  received.  The  strong 
of  character  grew  up  in  the  midst  of  conflict.  The  large  family  of 
moderate  means  not  only  fosters  democracy,  but  industry.  From 
such  families,  in  ninety  per  cent  of  the  cases,  have  come  the  giants 
in  the  commercial,  industrial  and  political  worlds.  In  the  absence 
of  such  families,  the  school  must,  in  a large  measure,  take  their 
place.  Through  the  work-shop,  or  the  common  kitchen,  or  the 


school  garden,  or  the  vacant  town  lot,  or  the  savings  bank,  or 
better,  through  all  these,  must  the  school  teach  and  practice  that 
industrial  activity  which  develops  individual  initiative,  interest, 
reliability,  and  a common  sense  for  the  rights  of  others.  Here 
arises  a new  opportunity  for  the  teacher.  He  must  not  only 
know  his  community,  but  he  must  be  one  of  its  vital  factors.  The 
teacher,  the  parent,  the  doctor,  the  merchant,  the  banker,  the 
lawyer,  and  the  farmer,  are  all  equally  educators,  each  in  his 
place,  and  each  for  all. 

THE  BANKER’S  OPPORTUNITY 

While  all  are  equally  interested  in  the  development  of  a thrifty 
community,  still  the  banker’s  interest  is  probably  more  vital,  and 
he  is  connected  with  the  subject  more  closely.  To  him,  therefore, 
we  look  for  leadership  in  the  Thrift  Club,  and  for  the  teaching 
of  those  principles  which  we  of  the  common  herd  have  never 
learned.  This  is  his  special  opportunity  to  serve.  And  as  he 
serves,  so  will  be  his  reward.  We,  therefore,  appeal  to  him  to 
see  his  place  as  a real  educator  of  our  coming  generation,  just  as 
much  as  the  teacher  is  a real  educator.  We  would  have  him  see 
also  that  the  neglected  field  is  white  unto  the  harvest  and  that  the 
reapers  are  few.  If  he  does  not  thrust  in  the  sickle,  who,  indeed, 
will?  He  has  the  wisdom  which  all  need.  He  knows  from 
whence  this  wisdom  comes.  He  has  walked  the  road  and  meas- 
ured the  distance.  Let  him  tell  us  the  way.  He  knows  the  value 
of  industry  and  the  cost  of  success.  He  knows  the  results  of  sys- 
tematic saving.  He  knows  the  absolute  necessity  of  wise  invest- 
ing. He  knows  why  we  all  have  failed.  He  is  strong  where 
the  teacher  is  weak.  He  is  wise  where  the  preacher  is  foolish. 
Because  of  these  facts,  he  must  be  our  Moses  to  lead  us  out  of 
the  wilderness  of  wasted  opportunities,  and  show  us  how  to  pos- 
sess the  land  of  plenty  and  prosperity.  We  are  abundantly  able 
to  do  our  parts.  He  must  awaken  our  latent  energies  and  arouse 
our  dormant  faculties. 

JUNIOR  THRIFT  CLUBS 

It  is  hard  to  teach  an  old  dog  new  tricks.  As  the  twig  is  bent, 
so  the  tree  is  inclined.  Our  old  habits  hang  to  us.  We  have 
learned  thoroughly  the  bad  habit  of  extravagance.  No  more  than 
fifty  in  each  thousand  of  us  have  a savings  account.  It  might 
bo  difficult  to  teach  the  adult  population,  but  the  children  are  ready 
for  the  lesson.  Let  us  begin  with  them.  We  are  urging  every 


banker  in  the  State  to  cooperate  with  the  local  teacher  and  orga- 
nize about  his  bank  as  a center,  a Junior  Thrift  Club. 

The  boys’  corn  club,  the  girls’  tomato  club,  the  poultry  club, 
and  the  pig  club  have  all  done  efficient  service  in  our  State.  In 
fact,  these  are  to  be  the  foundation  of  the  Thrift  Club.  These 
have  taken  the  first  step — that  of  productive  industry.  Now,  let 
us  organize  the  Thrift  Club  to  take  the  other  two  steps : systematic 
saving  and  wise  investing. 

BOYS  AND  GIRLS 

There  must  be  two  wise  heads,  as  well  as  two  devoted  hearts, 
to  produce  a frugal  and  thrifty  home.  Unless  the  wife  and  mother 
do  the  saving,  who  can  insure  the  homes  against  want  ? The  power 
and  influence  of  woman  as  a business  factor  have  been  over- 
looked and  unappreciated.  It  has  not  been  considered  necessary 
to  give  our  girls  a business  education.  This  is  where  we  have  fallen 
down.  This  is  the  weak  spot  in  our  armor.  This  is  where  we 
have  builded  our  social  and  educational  pyramid  with  its  apex 
down.  This  is  where  our  friends  of  the  North  and  West  have 
outstripped  us.  All  of  their  institutions  are  open  alike  to  men 
and  women,  boys  and  girls.  We  shall  never  overtake  them  in 
the  race  of  life  until  we  follow  their  example.  We  urge,  there- 
fore, in  the  organization  and  furtherance  of  the  Thrift  Clubs  that 
boys  and  girls  be  given  equal  opportunities. 

BUSINESS  AND  SOCIAL  SERVICE 

Only  as  we  bring  our  working  factors  in  unity  can  we  hope 
for  the  best  results.  We  must  not  look  upon  business  as  com- 
pletely divorced  from  social  service.  On  the  other  hand,  we  must 
see  them  as  completely  united  for  human  betterment.  Religion 
must  adopt  business  methods,  and  business  must  make  use  of 
religious  principles.  The  Thrift  Club,  composed  of  boys  and 
girls,  young  men  and  young  women,  has  a fine  opportunity  for 
unifying  heretofore  discordant  factors  in  community  life.  The 
demand  of  the  present  is  not*  only  for  complete  cooperation,  but 
for  perfect  coordination  of  all  our  forces  for  progress. 

FREQUENT  ENTERTAINMENTS 

In  the  coordination  of  our  forces  and  activities  we  must  no 
longer  see  the  country  and  the  town.  The  telephone  and  good 
roads  have  eliminated  all  characteristics  of  rural  life  that  have 
distinguished  it  from  urban  life.  Now  we  see  only  the  community 


as  a unit.  The  Thrift  Club  gives  the  banker  and  the  merchant  the 
very  best  opportunities  to  bring  the  farmer  and  his  family,  and 
especially  the  younger  members  of  the  family,  into  that  close  and 
vital  touch  with  the  town  and  the  village  and  their  enterprises, 
which  is  necessary  to  unify  our  forces. 

A SCHOOL  THAT  DOES  NOT  SEEM  ONE 

Many  a boy  has,  shied  at  school  simply  because  it  was  school. 
Somehow  or  other  it  has  become  imbedded  in  the  sub-conscious 
mind  of  the  youth  that  school  is  not  a joyous  place.  I shall  not 
stop  here  to  say  who  or  what  is  the  cause  of  this  error  in  our 
minds.  I will  say,  however,  that  the  coming  school  must  be  the 
most  joyous  place  for  the  young  American.  And  while  we  wait 
for  this  consummation,  we  may  use  many  things  for  schooling 
which  will  not  be  so  recognized,  and  this  is  where  the  banker  and 
‘the  merchant  and  the  community  builder  generally  have  their 
great  opportunity  for  educational  service. 

The  psychologists  tell  us  that  the  very  best  form  of  tuition 
that  easy  and  unobtrusive  kind  which  overcomes  all  opposition 
by  its  irresistible  appeal  to  the  sub-conscious  mind  of  the  student. 
This  kind  of  appeal  is  the  legitimate  and  necessary  consequence 
of  every  organized  community  enterprise,  and  it  will  be  none  the 
less  so  of  every  local  Thrift  Club  which  may  be  conducted  along 
the  plans  outlined. 

A FINAL  WORD 

(A.)  Ways  by  Which  Young  Americans  May  Get  Some 
Cash  to  Deposit  in  Bank  : 

1.  Extra  work  about  the  home. 

2.  Get  an  agreement  with  parents  to  pay  for  extra  quality 
of  work. 

3.  Parents  to  pay  cash  for  all  household  jobs  well  done. 

4.  Do  jobs  for  your  neighbors. 

5.  Grow  something  to  eat  and  sell  it. 

6.  Especially  raise  some  chickens  and  eggs. 

7.  Make  and  sell  some  candy. 

8.  Make  peanut  butter  and  sell  it. 

9.  Roast  and  sell  peanuts. 

10.  Make  pop-corn  crisps  and  sell  them. 

11.  Sell  something  for  others: 

(a) .  Newspapers; 

( b ) .  Magazines; 


(c) .  Goods  of  local  dealers; 

(d) .  Manufactured  articles,  such  as  soap,  socks,  toilet 

articles,  auto  accessories,  aluminum  goods. 

Hundreds  of  manufacturers  are  depending  on  bright  young 
people  to  place  their  products  in  the  hands  of  users.  Get  in  touch 
with  some  of  these.  We  can  help  you  in  this.  Write  us  about  it. 

( B .)  Steps  in  the  Organization: 

1.  Call  on  the  banker  or  the  principal  of  your  school,  and  see 
if  you  cannot  interest  him  in  the  organization  of  a Thrift  Club. 

2.  If  you  are  a banker,  please  call  on  the  principal  of  your 
school  and  make  an  arrangement  for  him  and  you  to  talk  all  this 
over  with  the  school. 

3.  If  you'  are  a school  principal,  please  call  on  the  banker, 
and  get  him  to  address  your  school  on  the  subject  of  the  organi- 
zation of  a Thrift  Club. 

4.  If  you  are  interested  in  this  thing,  please  see  if  you  can- 
not interest  someone  else. 

5.  Appoint  a working  committee  consisting  of  about  five  boys 
and  five1  girls  to  cooperate  with  the  banker  in  the  organization  of 
a local  Thrift  Club. 

6.  As  soon  as  five  or  more  school  children  are  interested, 
proceed  to  organize  the  club  and  appoint  the  usual  officers — presi- 
dent, secretary,  treasurer,  and  as  many  committees  as  you  need. 

7.  If  you  have  not  a single  deposit  for  a year,  hold  on. 

8.  Hold  regular  meetings  of  the  club,  and  study  and  report 
on  ways  by  which  a boy  or  girl  may  earn  some  money. 

9.  Make  your  club  a place  for  discussion  of  the  economic 
and  other  needs  of  your  community  and  get  speakers  to  address 
you.  Above  all,  get  the  boys  and  girls  to  discuss  the  problems 
for  themselves. 

10.  Please  remember  that  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  will  assist  you  in  any  way  we  can.  Please  write  us  of 
your  interest.  t 

11.  Report  progress  and  write  for  detailed  programs  to  the 
DIVISION  OF  BUSINESS  ADMINISTRATION, 

Agricultural  College,  Mississippi. 


Collegiate  Training  for  Business 


By  James  V.  Bowen. 


No  part  of  the  manifold  activities  in  the  life  of  men  and 
women  of  to-day  is  of  greater  practical  importance  than  the  keep- 
ing track  of  income  and  outgo.  With  the  increase  in  the.  cost  of 
living,  and  the  increase  in  competition  in  all  fields  of  endeavor, 
this  ability  to  watch  the  leaks  and  care  for  the  small  savings  be- 
comes of  greater  and  greater  importance.  Consequently,  educa- 
tors are  turning  their  attention  more  and  more  to  developing  in 
the  pupil  the  spirit  of  saving,  inculcating  the  habit  of  accuracy  in 
keeping  track  of  income  and  expenditure,  and  laying  a foundation 
ior  the  understanding  and  application  of  business  principles  in 
actual  life  after  leaving  school. 

The  material  welfare  of  the  world  depends  upon  the  business 
man,  for  it  is  he  who,  when  rightly  trained,  can  eliminate  the 
many  losses  due  to  ignorance,  carelessness  and  wrong  thinking. 

But  only  a few  of  the  secondary  schools  have  undertaken  to 
give  this  training,  and  the  public  school  student  is  too  immature, 
and  his  time  too  limited,  to  do  more  than  learn  a few  fundamental 
principles  and  a few  routine  methods. 

The  man  who  expects  to  deal  in  a business  way  with  his  fel- 
low men,  needs  a broader,  deeper  foundation,  and  a wider  view- 
point : It  has  been  truly  said : “The  time  has  come  when  it  is 
worth  while  for  the  young  man  who  desires  to  achieve  success  in 
a business  career  to  begin  by  learning  what  the  experience  of 
others  has  to  teach.  The  saving  of  waste  is  an  important  element 
in  modern  industry.  It  is  in  keeping  with  this  idea  that  the 
wasteful  method  which  requires  business  men  to  learn  everything 
anew  for  themselves  through  their  own  experience,  should  give 
place  to  a system  which  provides  opportunity  for  each  generation 
to  know  the  results  of  the  efforts  of  the  preceding  generation. 
It  is  thereby  enabled  to  start  somewhere  in  advance  of  where  its 
predecessor  did,  and  so  to  attain  larger  results. 

“There  are,  of  course,  many  phases  of  business  which  every 
man  must  learn  for  himself,  but  business  experience  has  developed 
principles  and  methods  of  procedure  which  can  be  taught.  More- 


over,  these  principles  and  methods  have  become  so  far  standard- 
ized to  constitute  a useful  foundation  upon  which  to  build  the 
experience  of  the  individual.” 

THE  BUSINESS  FARMER 

This  is  especially  true  of  the  business  side  of  farming,  which 
is  rapidly  becoming  a leading  phase  of  the  farmer’s  life.  No 
longer  can  he  depend  upon  a single  merchant  to  take  his  one  crop, 
and  make  settlement  once  a year.  The  modern  farmer’s  business 
is  a complicated  one — hay,  corn,  cotton,  grain,  milk  and  butter, 
chickens  and  eggs,  cattle,  hogs,  horses,  mules,  all  require  finding 
of  markets,  dealing  with  all  sorts  of  men,  the  keeping  of  all  sorts 
of  accounts.  The  modern  farmer  cannot  neglect  the  business 
side  of  his  profession. 

NEED  OF  BUSINESS  TRAINING 

This  is  true  of  the  doctor,  the  preacher,  the  lawyer — every 
man  in  every  profession  needs  in  varying  degree  this  fundamental 
knowledge  of  business.  The  lawyer  of  to-day  finds  his  practice 
largely  concerned  with  business  problems.  He  cannot  be  too 
thoroughly  prepared  to  handle  them. 

The  business  man,  the  merchant,  the  wholesaler,  the  traveling 
salesman,  the  clerk,  all  need,  as  a matter  of  course,  such  training. 
In  the  past  they  have  been  left  to  get  it  by  rule  of  thumb  in  the 
hard,  slow  and  expensive  school  of  experience.  But  to-day  the 
fundamental  principles  of  business  have  been  charted — men  of 
broad  experience  have  pointed  the  way  toward  the  goal  of  success, 
and  .have  staked  a road  that  is  plain,  even  though  it  is  hard  to 
follow.  Why  should  a business  man  be  forced  to  learn  these 
things  by  bitter  experience  any  more  than  a lawyer  should  be 
forced  to  learn  the  fundamental  principles  of  his  profession  by 
hanging  around  law  courts  for  years  and  picking  up  haphazard  his 
knowledge  of  the  code?  There  is  an  easier  way  to  learn  these 
fundamental  principles  of  business.  But  they  cannot  be  learned 
in  a day  nor  a three-months’  course.  Private  business  schools 
all  over  the  country  are  recognizing  this  and  the  best  are  length- 
ening their  courses  very  materially.  Even  then,  they  can  give 
little  more  than  routine  training. 

The  astonishing  thing  is  that  our  educational  system  has  so 
long  ignored  the  business  man.  Our  public  schools  and  colleges 
have  been  ready  to  stock  the  pupil  with  more  or  less  useless  knowl- 
edge, the  State  has  gladly  taxed  itself  to  educate  its  farmers,  its 


engineers,  its  lawyers  and  its  doctors,  and  sometimes,  too,  its 
preachers,  but  it  has  never,  until  the  last  few  years,  thought  of 
educating  its  business  men — on  whose  skill  and  knowledge  so 
much  of  our  prosperity  depends. 

Let  us  look  at  a few  facts  about  Mississippi,  taken  from  the 
last  census.  It  shows  that  there  were  then  in  the  State  234,120 
white  male  adults.  Of  these  there  were : 


Farmers 

Lawyers 

Teachers 

Physicians 


168,159 

1,196 

1,036 

1,985 


In  business  life,  there  were  a total  of  27,189,  as  follows: 


Retail  Dealers 10,044 

Salesmen 5,336 

Clerks 3.348 

Bookkeepers 2,404 

Manufacturing  Foremen  . 814 

Managers  and  Superintendents  950 

Manufacturers  and  Officials  . . 1,298 

Bankers 598 

Commercial  Travelers  . . 1,209 

Insurance  Agents  ....  572 

Agents 616 


It  is  worth  while  for  the  State  to  train  its  1,196  lawyers,  its 
1,985  doctors,  and  its  1,036  men  teachers.  It  is  also  worth  while 
to  train  its  27,189  merchants. 

AGRICULTURAL  AND  MECHANICAL  COLLEGE 
MEETS  THE  DEMAND 

The  Mississippi  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  has 
recognized  this  fact,  and  in  1915  established  a four-year  course  in 
Business  Administration,  which  leads  to  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science.  Here,  touching  shoulders  with  the  future  leaders  in 
agriculture,  in  science,  in  engineering,  and  in  teaching,  the  future 
business  man  gets  at  once  into  an  atmosphere  of  practical  activity 
and  learns  the  great  lesson  of  cooperation  with  these  other  great 
professions,  which  with  him  are  to  carry  out  the  great  work  of 
building  a greater  Mississippi.  No  place  could  be  better  suited 
to  the  development  of  sanity,  sincerity  and  friendship  among  the 
various  factors  in  the  social  uplift  of  the  State. 


The  course  does  for  the  business  man  what  training  in  Scien- 
tific Agriculture  does  for  the  farmer.  Practicality  is  its  keynote. 

EARNING  WHILE  LEARNING 

To  the  young  man  who  is  intending  to  pursue  a professional 
course  after  college,  this  course  in  Business  offers  a most  excel- 
lent training  in  salesmanship,  in  stenography,  and  typewriting, 
which  will  enable  him  to  “cash  in”  on  his  training  during  his 
vacation  and  earn  easily  the  money  needed  to  pay  for  his  educa- 
tion. Many  of  our  students  are  already  doing  this. 

WHAT  THE  COURSE  IS 

First  of  all,  the  student  makes  a careful  study  of  the  various 
fields  of  activity  in  order  that  he  may  choose  his  life  work  with 
an  understanding  of  its  demands.  He  studies  the  development  of 
commerce  in  courses  in  Economic  History  of  England  and  of  the 
United  States,  and  learns  to  express  his  thoughts  accurately  and 
forcefully. 

Every  student  is  given  a thorough  course  in  Economics,  which 
is  the  basis  of  all  clear  thinking  in  the  business  world.  This  is 
accompanied  by  a careful  study  of  Business  and  Office  Methods, 
Business  Organization,  especially  Retail  Credits,  Collections,  and 
an  extensive  examination  of  Insurance,  Real  Estate  and  Banking. 

The  whole  viewpoint  of  the  course  looks  to  the  needs  of  the 
people  of  the  State  of  Mississippi,  rather  than  a study  of  “Big 
Business.”  This  difference  in  viewpoint  distinguishes  this  course 
from  all  other  of  similar  nature  in  the  United  States. 

Every  man  needs  to  know  how  to  keep  accurate  accounts, 
and  how  to  interpret  them  when  kept  by  others.  Hence,  a 
thorough  course  in  Bookkeeping,  Accounting  and  Auditing  is 
given,  covering  two  years.  This  ability  to  analyze  accounts  is 
of  infinite  value  to  every  man. 

The  student  is  taught  to  analyze  human  nature  in  the  course 
of  Psychology,  and  applies  this  knowledge  to  practical  ends  in  the 
courses  in  Business  Methods  and  Salesmanship— where  he  is 
taught  the  principles  underlying  successful  dealing  with  others, 
and  is  given  opportunities  to  practice  them  by  real  selling  of 
real  goods. 

He  is  taught  to  think,  write  and  speak  clearly  in  the  courses  in 
Business  Correspondence,  Public  Discourse  and  Rhetoric.  He  is 
trained  in  Typewriting  and  Shorthand  as  labor-saving  tools.  He 


i 


studies  the  fundamentals  of  Commercial  Law,  that  he  may  know 
some  of  the  pitfalls  that  he  will  meet  in  the  broad  field  of  business. 

TRAINING  FOR  LEADERSHIP 

In  addition  to  all  this,  he  gets  a thorough  collegiate  training 
in  Ethics,  History,  Sociology,  Civics,  Mathematics,  Science,  Liter- 
ature, and  Modern  Languages,  preparing  him  to  enjoy  the  things 
of  the  Spirit,  as  well  as  the  practical  affairs  of  his  daily  walk  with 
men.  The  training  one  gets  here  will  lift  his  life-work  out  of 
drudgery  and  make  it  a joy-giving  profession,  as  well  as  a bread- 
winning vocation.  No  man  who  absorbs  the  atmosphere  of  this 
course  will  ever  be  content  to  be  anything  less  than  a leader  in 
the  mental,  moral  and  physical  uplift  of  his  community. 

An  outline  of  the  course  follows.  It  leads  to  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science.  That  it  meets  the  need  that  it  was  estab- 
lished to  meet,  is  shown  by  the  large  enrollment  and  the  very  high 
professional  tone  and  the  enthusiasm  which  is  shown  by  the  stu- 
dents who  are  taking  the  work. 

For  further  detailed  information,  address, 

PROF.  JAMES  V.  BOWEN,  Director , 

Agricultural  College, 

Mississippi. 


COURSE  IN 


BUSINESS 


ADMINISTRATION 


t 


Official  Course  Adopted  by  Committee  on  Course  of  Study,  March  1, 1916 


Freshman 


English 

Mathematics 

History 

Business  Method . 

Bookkeeping 

Typewriting 

Commercial  Geography  

Woodshop  

Gymnasium  and  Drill 

Sophomore 

English 

Mathematics 

Military  Science 

Chemistry 

Spanish 

Business  Law 

Public  Discourse 

Cotton  Classing 

Stenography 

Drill 

Junior 

English 

Economics  

Money  and  Banking 

Economic  History  of  England  . . . ) 

Economic  History  of  the  United  States  ) 

Psychology 

Spanish 

Public  Discourse  

Business  Methods 

Business  Organizations 

Stenography 

Markets  

Drill 


5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

5/0 

2/8 

0/8 

0/8 

0/4 

0/4 

0/4 

5/0 

0/4 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

4/0 

3/4 

3/4 

3/4 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

4/2 

4/2 

0/4 

0/6 

0/6 

0/4 

5/0 

5/0 

3/0  • 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/2 

3/2 

3/2 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

0/6 

0/6 

0/6 

5/0 

Senior  (Business  Administration) 


Spanish 

Ethics  and  Sociology 

Civics 

Public  Discourse 

Physics 

Business  Methods  . 
Accounting  . . . 


5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

5/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/0 

3/4 

3/4 

4/0 

4/0 

6/0 

1/8 

1/8 

1/8 

Senior  (Public  Affairs) 


Spanish 5/0  5/0 

South  American  Problems 3/0 

Ethics  and  Sociology 5/0  5/0 

Civics  . . 3/0 

Public  Discourse 2/8  2/8 

Economics  3/0  3/0 

Physics. 3/4  3/4 


5/0 

5/0 

3/0 

2/8 

5/0 


